Daughters of the Moon
by LadyMoontime
Summary: In chapter 3 - Luna's first day at Hogwarts is unexpectedly eventful, and she meets someone she did not expect to see! What secret is Hermione hiding?
1. Chapter 1

Luna drifted into consciousness slowly, gradually becoming aware that something was horribly wrong. Usually when she woke up, she could hear her father banging around in the kitchen, or her mother tinkering with a new spell or potion in her laboratory in the basement level of their rook-shaped home. That was what was missing. Noise… there was none.

Quickly putting on her purple crumple-eared snorcack slippers and her yellow fluffy dressing gown, Luna climbed down the 14 rungs on her oak ladder into her dad's study, and then further down into the kitchen. It then became clear why there was no noise – smoke and an awful smell wafted out of the cracks around the basement door.

Luna tried to wrench the door open, but her mother had obviously locked it. As she was only nine, there was no way she could open the door by herself. She began to scream. "Mother, please open the door!" she shrieked, banging desperately on the door. She had no idea where her dad was…

Using the floo, she shouted "The Burrow" and stuck her head through. Mrs. Weasley turned at the sound and smiled at her. "Hello dear –" She noticed that Luna's face was streaked with tears, and she seemed to be hysterical. "What's wrong, dear?" she asked, rapidly approaching the fireplace. "It's my mother, Mrs. Weasley… something went wrong. She's trapped in her laboratory. Please come over right away – I don't know what to do!" she finished, and started crying again. "I'll be there right away." Said Mrs. Weasley efficiently, pulling the first aid kit down from the top of the kitchen cupboard.

As Luna pulled her head out of the fire, Mrs. Weasley stepped through, and immediately they both rushed through the smoky haze to the laboratory door. "Stand back, Luna." Said Mrs. Weasley, and muttered the door-unlocking spell. Smoke billowed out, causing them both to cough and their eyes to water. Casting a ventilation spell, Mrs. Weasley carefully stepped onto the staircase, and stared in shock. Before she could warn Luna, the girl stepped through the door and stood next to her. There was nothing recognizable left of the room except for the staircase on which they stood. In one corner, and splattered across the walls, was a sticky-looking red substance intermingled with the charred black of what had obviously been the experiment. There was no body that was identifiable.

Luna just stood and stared, taking it all in.


	2. Chapter 2

"Luna, we're going to be late!" her father yelled upwards. He was met with no response. Huffing in an agitated manner, he began to climb the ladder just as Luna started to climb down. He got off, and she jumped down from where she was, landing like a frog on the level below with her curls bouncing around her face. She was wearing a short purple skirt with a matching army style jacket and neat black stockings. He smiled kindly at her. "Have you had breakfast yet?" he asked her, indicating toward the kitchen below. "I'm not that hungry, father." She said, starting to climb down the next ladder into the kitchen below.

She had just managed to stop crying, and by being nice to her he was putting her on the edge of tears again. She peered at herself in the back of a spoon, and made her face show no evidence of how upset she was. It would not make the separation any easier, but in made her feel better that her father wouldn't see her distressed.

This was going to be difficult – she could admit that. But her mother could stay calm under any circumstance, so there was no reason that she couldn't do the same. An old trunk waited at the front door, labelled with her mother's maiden name, Selene Helena Malfoy. Underneath, Luna had neatly written her own name neatly in elegant cursive.

Her father climbed down the ladder and walked up to her. In his hand was a package wrapped neatly in silver paper, and he handed it to her with a sigh. "Your mother wanted to give you this, on the occasion of your first year at Hogwarts," he said, watching her carefully for a response. She whispered a 'thank you' as she turned away and sniffed. She put the package in her pocket. He accepted that she didn't want to upset him, and they moved towards the door.

They apparated from the front step directly onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Luna holding her father's hand tightly as he held her trunk in the other. "Goodbye, my little moon," he said, and embraced her briefly. "Have a good year."

"I will, father. I'll miss you," she whispered, and hugged him tightly. He released her and helped her get onto the train, hoisting her trunk up onto the luggage rack.

Luna let her eyes adjust to the dimness inside. She turned to the left and tried to find an empty compartment. A whistle blew somewhere outside, signalling one minute to the train's departure. Luna shuffled into a compartment halfway along the train, void of any passengers. She sat down and stared out of the window. Her father was already gone, but she spotted a few familiar faces here and there. There was a sudden commotion as some easily recognizable red-heads popped into existence at the undetectable entrance to the platform. The twins laughed and joked, running to get a seat on the train; Mrs. Weasley looked around with a panicked expression, holding her only daughter's hand tightly.

She approached the barrier that she had just come through with her hand extended, but found only a solid brick wall. She called another parent over, and they inspected the wall together. Percy took his sister's trunk from her, and after saying hurried goodbyes to his mother and allowing Ginny to kiss her, they both rushed towards the train. Luna couldn't figure out what was wrong with the wall. One second it was working, and the next it was not. Just then, the train lurched forward, and the various parents on the platform waved their last goodbyes to their children.

Ginny walked past, spotted Luna and backtracked. "Hey Luna, how are you?" she asked politely as she sat down opposite her friend.

"I'm fine, thank you," answered Luna. "What was happening outside?"

Ginny laughed. "Ron and Harry got locked out by the barrier! Mum can't figure out how it happened, but it seems as though I'm going to be one brother short this year." Luna looked puzzled. This couldn't have just happened by itself – someone or something must be trying to keep these two boys from reaching Hogwarts.

After a few minutes, some other new first year girls had filed in and placed themselves in the other seats in the compartment. Ginny introduced Luna and herself, and the other girls did the same. "I'm Lydia Green," said a tall, shapely girl who wore jeans and a Wyrd Sister's t-shirt. Probably a half-blood, Luna thought as she scanned over the mousy brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Hi, my name's Emily Prince," she stated simply, meeting Luna's eyes evenly. She was fair skinned and had long dark hair that contrasted sharply with her amber eyes. She obviously recognized Luna's features, but the girl was a mystery to Luna.

The last two girls introduced themselves as Angela and Amy Morrison, identical twins that hadn't known they were magical until they received their Hogwarts letters. They had tanned skin and talked with strange accents. They said that this was because they had only recently emigrated from South Africa, and hadn't had much time to get used to the British accent.

Emily sat next to Luna and conducted the conversation. She explained about the Hogwarts houses, and the twins said that they had a similar system back home. Later, Emily spoke softly with Luna as Ginny and Lydia dozed and the twins read books.

"What house do you think you'll be in, considering your parents?" asked Emily, scanning Luna's face.

"I'm really not certain, but I'm aiming for Slytherin or Ravenclaw. My father would freak out if I ended up anywhere else. How about you?" she asked quietly.

"The same, but my father is actually not very fazed about the whole thing, surprisingly enough. He said he won't lose it unless I get into Gryffindor." The two girls laughed, coming to an understanding that they were very similar.

It turned out that their mothers were cousins, which made them second cousins. Luna's mother was a Malfoy, and Emily's mother was a Greengrass – two families that had long been allies. Luna was puzzled by the girl, though. She constantly appeared to be holding something back.

"You seem quite uptight, Emily. Is something wrong?" she asked, searching the girl's features for a reaction. It seemed that they had been similarly trained not to show any flicker of emotion, because Emily did not show any hint of surprise at the question even though it came out of the blue.

"It's a secret, and I'm not ready to tell anyone yet," she said softly, her eyes sending the message that she really wasn't allowed to tell anyone anyway.

"That's alright, I understand. If at any time you do feel ready to tell me – I'm very good at keeping secrets." Luna assured her, and Emily changed the topic hurriedly.

They arrived shortly after 6 'o clock in the evening, and all six girls were ravenous. They followed the thunderous request to follow from a half-giant who introduced himself as Hagrid. The girls looked at each other and the twins shrugged. Making their way through the crowd, they were led down a beautifully paved pathway onto the shore of the Black Lake, where they received their first introduction to Hogwarts. Gothic and majestic, it loomed out of the Black Lake, framed by an orange and pink sunset. None of the portraits in _Hogwarts, a History_ really did it justice. The new fist years gasped. They were instructed to climb into the waiting boats. Tiny lanterns lit up at the helms of the boats as each was full to capacity.

Once everyone was safely in a boat, they all simultaneously moved forward in a synchronized dance. They weaved in and around each other, sailing towards the mouth-like entrance underneath the castle, covered in ivy and water-weeds. Luna looked down into the clear, glassy surface of the lake, and was surprised to meet the eye of one Giant Squid. It was quite a large eye, and it stared unblinkingly up at her as she sailed past. Looking up, Luna had a last impression that the castle seemed to reach upwards forever, before they were swallowed whole by the entrance.

In the entrance hall, Professor McGonagall met them with a steely gaze and explained the process. She then disappeared through a side passage after hissing at them to keep quiet. The now terrified first years formed a line two people across as she had instructed. Luna found herself thrust towards the front. Emily grabbed her hand and they took up the positions at the front of the lines.

The doors opened and the two girls led the way through the middle of the hall to the front. Lydia ended up in Gryffindor, the Morrison twins were both put into Ravenclaw and soon enough it was Luna's turn to be sorted. She let go of Emily's hand and walked silently towards the stool. Professor McGonagall handed her the Sorting Hat and she sat on the stool. Placing the hat over her head, she met the silver eyes of a small blonde-haired boy at the Slytherin table just before she saw no more.

_Hello, dear lady of the moon. _Luna sat up straighter on the stool. It's the hat, she reminded herself. _Yes it's me, dear one. You are a unique one, you know. _In what way, she wondered. _Well, you really would suit any of the houses. But you're going to need to go somewhere that you won't be judged harshly. _Where would that be? I don't think I'd fit in anywhere. You know what I am. _True, but you will do well in Slytherin. I would love you to come back and talk with me in a year's time. Tell me how you are._

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted, and Luna handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall. She silently walked to the Slytherin table as they applauded her politely. As she found a seat near the head table, the next person was put into "Gryffindor!" and the whole house rose to its feet to applaud and whistle.

Luna turned and looked for Emily's friendly face, and waited for her name to be called. When it was, Emily boldly marched towards the hat, and as her head touched the rim the hat shouted "Slytherin!"

Emily's face lifted in a smirk.

As Emily made her way over to the Slytherin table, Luna turned and met the silver eyes again. A memory was triggered in her mind.

"Luna?" Emily nudged her as they sat, straight-backed and waiting for the food to appear. Luna turned and met Emily's eyes. Instantly she became aware that they would definitely be friends forever. They were the same – the powers that they possessed went above the normal.

At last, Ginny was sorted into Gryffindor along with all of her brothers, who cheered and whistled louder than all the rest. Just then, a tremendous crash resounded outside, followed by several more crashing sounds, a long creaking noise and then, a thump. A rolling spluttering sound faded into the distance.

"What was that?" Emily whispered to Luna, just as Professor Snape appeared, dragging two forlorn-looking Gryffindor boys by their ears. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had never tried so hard to look invisible. They sat down at the Gryffindor table, and Professor Snape muttered something into their ears that only they could hear. They paled visibly.

Dinner appeared on the table, just as _Hogwarts, a History _had predicted. At other tables, the students tucked in immediately, but at their house table there was utter silence, every eye focused on the head if house, Professor Snape. As soon as his plate was full, he nodded to the house, and they began to fill their plates. Still nobody began to eat until every member of the house had food. The small number of new Slytherins just followed a few seconds behind everyone else, because nobody had told them about this act of courtesy.

Everyone at the Slytherin house table ate slowly, their backs perfectly straight. Once they were done eating, the older prefects stood, having been instructed by their head of house. The rest of the house followed, and the entire house left the hall silently in two neat rows. At the head table, Professor Snape watched approvingly. The new Slytherins were fast learners.

He got up and followed them at a distance, waiting in an alcove as each Slytherin had the password whispered into their ear by a prefect. They then had the process of walking through the wall explained to them, just like the one at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

He waited about three minutes to allow for the students to all take a seat in the common room, and then muttered the password as he billowed through the wall, materializing in front of the shocked first years.

"Good evening, Slytherin house." He said softly, and they all waited with bated breath for him to continue. "The older years will know that this is the most disciplined house, where decorum and respect are valued above all other things.

"Your prefects will give you the complete updated list of rules shortly, but there are three that you will need to memorize immediately. One: Slytherin is a unit. This means that there will be no in-fighting. Even if you do not completely agree with a statement that someone makes or the impression that they leave others with, you will not comment on it to them directly. You may address any matters of concern in writing to me, slipped through my door. If the matter is life-threatening, or extremely urgent, you may come to me straight."

He met the eyes of each of the seven first years in turn. "You were made aware tonight of the way that Slytherins compose themselves. Every single house member will be awake by six-thirty in the morning, a down in the common room by seven thirty. You will then be made aware of any notices. At this point the entire house will walk up to the hall together, and you will always follow the rules demonstrated to you about when to begin eating."

Looking towards the older years now, he said: "Rule number two: Slytherins are never caught." A few of the seventh years snickered, and some of them blushed. "If you are caught out of bounds for any reason, Filch will pass you on directly to me. You will receive a month's worth of detentions and they will not be pleasant."

"Lastly, you will need to remember that this is a school, and that your performance is reported directly to me. If you are struggling with the course work, approach me and I will supply you with an appropriate tutor. You will all be in here or in the library doing your homework or studying directly after the last bell and after dinner. Slytherins uphold high academic excellence."

He smirked. "Now, it is time for the first years to introduce themselves. I see that there are four ladies and three young men joining us this year. Please state your full name… and your favourite band." The seventh years laughed. He changed it every year, but every year the first years still looked as surprised. Last year he had asked for their full name and their favourite brand of toothpaste.

After assuring the first years that yes, he was serious; the first little girl stepped forward. "My name is Ember Zabini," she said clearly. "My favourite band is Dolly and the Trolls" The house applauded her politely, some commenting on her choice of music.

The next to step forward was a boy, short and stocky, with light brown hair. "I'm Alistair Lysander Hunt, and I prefer the Babes in Robes," he said, not waiting for the applause to start before he sat down again. The next two boys introduced themselves as Edward and Lincoln Marchbanks, paternal twins who both liked the Wyrd Sisters.

Emily introduced herself next, saying that she favoured Rachmaninov, a classical pianist. The other girl rose from her chair, and introduced herself as Crystal-Anne Silk. "I love the Wyrd sisters too," she added, before sitting again. Luna got up, and stood facing the house. "My name is Luna Selene Lovegood, and I like the Potion Makers," she said, and sat down again quietly as the other house members whispered "Who are they?"

Professor Snape rescued Luna from answering that question by interrupting them. "It's well past curfew. If you are not all in bed in the next 20 minutes, I will know…so do not loiter." The rush was immediate. The first years remained in place, until their prefects came and directed the girls down a passage to the left, and the boys down the right hand one. They were quickly led to a door that was labelled 'First years' and instructed to choose an additional password between them. After a quick whispered discussion, they decided that the password would be "leviathan", a famous sea serpent of the ancient world. After adjusting the password accordingly, the prefect left them to enter their room alone.

It seemed very cosy, even though it should have been freezing underground. There were four single beds, with forest green bedding and silver trims. Next to each bed had been placed their trunk and a desk, and to the left was their bathroom with a shower and mirror for each of them. Luna flopped down on her bed, the closest to the fireplace. She had had one heck of a day. Something was poking her.

Reaching into her pocket, she found the present that her dad had given her. She quickly got into her pyjamas and climbed under the covers, drawing the curtains closed around her. Taking a deep breath, she started to unravel the silver paper.

Inside was a beautiful shallow lacquered box. She opened it carefully, and gasped softly at the beautiful pendant inside. It was made of moonstone, in a circular shape. On the one half was a crescent moon with a face profile, and on the right her own face interlocked with that of the moon. It looked as though she was kissing the moon.

Luna put on the beautiful piece of jewellery and snuggled down into her covers to have a good cry.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunlight filtered through the dust particles, creating a hazy glow in the room belonging to the four Slytherin first year girls. Luna awoke from her usual dream of picking a mulberry leaf off an apple tree and stretched wearily. If yesterday was difficult, today would be even worse. She looked at her magical watch, charmed to work off of the magic in the castle. It was six o clock, and time to catch an early shower, she thought.

The floor was cold, so she rushed into the bathroom quickly. She took her time in the shower, and emerged some fifteen minutes later with a forest green towel wrapped around her. Emily, Crystal and Ember were just waking up. Her amulet glinted in the sunlight.

"That's an interesting amulet, Luna," said Emily groggily as she slipped her feet out of her bed and into her functional black slippers.

"Thank you, Emily. It was a present from my mother," Luna said, starting to dress in her uniform. "You should probably try to get a shower in earlier than later," she said, buttoning up her school shirt.

"I will, but first you're going to have to explain why I have a similar amulet, given to me by my mother yesterday," said Emily, bringing out her pendant, and stepping closer so that Luna could inspect it. It was the same design, but made out of amber, the colour of Emily's eyes. Also, the girl on the amulet looked more like Emily. Strange, Luna thought. Her amulet was the same colour as her eyes too.

Luna explained that she had no idea why they had the same amulet. Emily left to shower, a puzzled expression on her face. Gradually, the other girls in the dorm got up and showered, coming out to get dressed in their grey skirt and white shirt. They put on their new Slytherin ties, with a thick diagonal green stripe and a thin silver one running next to it. Their plain black school robes had also gained a hissing Slytherin serpent badge over their right breast.

They arrived in the common room a few minutes before the meeting was due to start, carrying their school bags over their shoulders. They took seats near Alistair, Edward and Lincoln, who greeted them politely. Crystal sat behind Luna and started to play with her blonde curls. The blonde boy that had been staring at her last night sauntered into the common room, and immediately sought out Luna.

With his right hand extended, he introduced himself. "Good morning, I'm Draco Malfoy." Luna stood up hurriedly and extended her own hand, shaking his firmly. "Luna Lovegood," she said. "We're cousins."

His face showed no indication that he had heard what she said, but his eyes flickered from grey to silver. "I thought you looked familiar. Meet me in the library after classes so that we can talk," he turned around abruptly and went to talk with a black boy who looked just like Ember.

"Are you related to that boy, Ember?" she asked, watching him as he interacted with Draco.

"He's my brother, only one year older than me. We have the same mother," she said, smiling. He really was a good brother, if a bit annoying at times. "We sat together on the train, which is why I didn't meet you until after we were sorted."

Luna nodded absently and sat down again. Crystal resumed playing with her hair. "It's just so soft!" she explained, as Luna nearly began purring.

The prefects arrived, and the head prefect (called Marcus Flint) said that there were just a few notices before they would go up to breakfast. "Quiddich try-outs will take place this Saturday, and all years may try out for any position. Even though the first years can't play matches this year, we believe that it's good to give you a head start. There will be two reserve teams, as well as the main team which will play at the matches. The reserve teams will take turns playing the main team at practices, and you will play each other whenever you want to practice. Nobody's position is assured – in Slytherin we judge you by your talent on a broom, not your parent's money."

There was an excited buzz among the students, and Flint had to hold up a hand for silence. "The second notice is this – we WILL be winning the house cup this year, no matter what it takes. I want your hands up in class, people. Know your course-work. Hand your essays in to an older student to have them checked, before they go anywhere near a teacher. We want you to cheer the loudest for your house team, work the hardest in class, and be the best behaved students this school has ever seen, alright?"

The Slytherins erupted into cheers, full of hopes of excellence and grandeur. The prefects wove their way around the other standing house members and led the way out of the portrait, followed by the other seventh years and the other years in descending order. Luna walked near her cousin, holding hands with Emily. Silence fell over the group as they ascended the stairs out of the dungeons, aware that they had a public image to keep up.

It was still early, so when the entire Slytherin house entered the Great hall it was unsurprising that there were only a few other people in the room, mostly Ravenclaws. At the Gryffindor table, a lone bushy head stuck out like a sore thumb, bent over a thick tome. Ahead of Luna, a dark-haired girl walking alongside Draco sniggered unkindly and made a comment about the "loner mudblood Gryffindor" which Luna found inappropriate.

As if on cue, the dark-haired girl tripped over her robe and went sprawling across the floor. The Slytherins sniggered, and Draco helped her up. As they finally made it to their table, Luna looked across the room once more. Her gaze became the captive of a certain bushy-haired witches' secretive stare. Her deep brown eyes sparkled intriguingly at Luna, who could not break eye contact. The girl looked down at her book once more, and the spell was broken.

Luna sat between Emily and Ember, and grabbed some toast and bacon. Between mouthfuls, she wondered about the lone Gryffindor girl, and whether or not she should introduce herself.

Gradually, she came back to the present and listened in on the conversation going on to her right. Ember was talking with Lincoln, the twin with dark hair, about a 'golden trio'. By eavesdropping for three minutes, she managed to ascertain that there were three Gryffindors in this elite group, hence the word 'trio'. She found that their names were Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The name Harry Potter was familiar to her, and Ron Weasley had been the one in trouble with the famous boy last night – apparently for causing injury to a rare plant.

The third name intrigued her. Hermione Granger _felt _like the right name for the girl she had made eye contact with earlier, and she could not explain it. She continued listening in on the conversations around her, but mostly she watched out for the people she had met yesterday. She waved at Ginny when she walked in with a few of her Gryffindor friends, and smiled at the Morrison twins as they sat down close by at the Ravenclaw table. She pondered the fact that she already knew far more twin pairs than was usual.

Then she overheard a conversation going on a little further up at the table. Apparently, not all of their teachers were nice people. She listened to some fourth-years discussing the mysterious disappearance of their previous years' Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Near the end of the year, he had just disappeared. He was suspected of underhanded dealings with some dark wizard or other.

There was one teacher which no Slytherin badmouthed – and that was Professor Snape. Even though he seemed quite formidable, he had been nice enough to them last night. She would not be judging him until she had experienced his teaching capabilities. It seemed that the other houses did not exercise the same restraint. She heard some Hufflepuff first years complaining that they had double potions straight after lunch hour. She huffed in disappointment. Some people could be _so_ immature.

The pretty prefect that had showed the girls to their rooms started handing out class schedules to the first years, and Professor Snape made his way down from the head's table to hand out schedules to the other years. Luna and Emily studied theirs silently. It seemed as though their days followed a standard format. They had a single lesson, followed by a double lesson before lunch. Then there was usually a double lesson or two single lessons following that, before the end of the day at four. They then had time to research and start their homework before seven, which was supper time. After that, they had to be in the common room or their bedrooms working on homework or reading before bed at nine.

Ember asked the prefect (Anastasia Bullwinkle) where their first class was to be held. Anastasia said that it was on the second floor, to the right. She also informed the first years that she was their assigned guide for the first few days, just until they became used to their new school. Looking at her schedule, Luna noticed that she had Defence Against the Dark Arts, followed by a double potions lesson. She wasn't feeling very good about potions. What if she made a mistake just like her mother, and killed everyone in her class as well as herself?

Emily also looked apprehensive. She looked around nervously, glancing back and forth between her schedule and the head's table. Luna thought that perhaps Emily had heard some tall tales about some of the teachers, and wasn't really ready to find out whether or not they were true.

Another hot topic was that of their new Defence professor. Luna snorted at her schedule – Next to 'Defence Against the Dark Arts, Period one' was the name 'The Amazing and Fabulous Gilderoy Lockhart'. Emily wondered aloud what kind of parents gave their child the name 'The Amazing and Fabulous Gilderoy'. The boys sniggered and pointed as the professor smiled energetically at the hordes of girls trying to get his autograph before classes started.

Gradually, the older Slytherins drifted away from the table, while Luna and the other first years waited for one another to be done before leaving. Emily linked arms with Luna and whispered in her ear.

"I'm a bit nervous about potions. What if I mess up?" Luna smiled and sighed.

"Well, we'll just have to wing it. I know a lot about potions, but I don't want to injure anyone if I make a mistake."

"I feel the same. At least we'll have each other to rely on," said Emily, pulling Luna up the last few steps to the Defence class.

Mostly, the Slytherins weren't impressed by their first lesson. Lincoln and Edward called him a 'pretty boy', while the girls simply called him a twit. It seemed as though his teaching methodology consisted mainly of creating situations which would never happen to any witch or wizard who was mildly concerned with self-preservation. Besides that, he spent at least half the lesson introducing himself by bragging in an unseemly manner. His walls were covered with self-portraits that winked and smiled at his pupils. All in all, the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were extremely relieved to get out of there.

The first year Slytherins met up with their Ravenclaw counterparts on their way down to their double potions lesson in the dungeons. The Ravenclaws asked them about defence, and told them a bit about their first lesson, which was charms with Professor Flitwick. Ember chatted with Angela Morrison about the differences in their dorms, even though they couldn't tell each other the location.

By the time the group reached the potions classroom Luna was a bundle of nerves. She gripped Emily's hand tightly and was breathing quickly and unevenly. They filed into the class quietly. The Slytherins sat on the right, while the Ravenclaws took the left of the class. They were a small class, so each person got his or her own desk. Just as conversation started up again, the door banged shut and their potions professor stormed into the class. He walked to the front and leaned back against his desk, smiling at the students – the effect being a rather scary grimace.

"I am sure there is a reason for each of you being sorted into either Slytherin or Ravenclaw, so I will treat this class as though you have been blessed with brains. For safety purposes, I will ask that there be no wand waving in this class – unless I give you express permission," he said, smirking at the Slytherins, whom he knew would exploit any loopholes he gave them.

"We'll start with the methodology you'll be using. I assume by now that most of you have at least read the first chapter of your books. Zabini, tell me the difference between chopping and dicing."

The lesson continued in much the same manner, and both Luna and Emily felt their tension ease a little. At least he was starting with the small stuff. Then came the sentence both had been dreading.

"Tomorrow we'll be brewing something simple – a nutritive potion. Nearly all my students start off with no experience as brewers, so I won't be fazed if you mess up the first time round. After then, I expect you to learn from your mistakes." Luna gulped, and her knuckles tightened around her quill. The bell rang, and the students packed up to leave. Luna was just at the door, when she heard Professor Snape's voice calling her for a word.

She turned slowly and, after whispering a goodbye to Emily, made her way to Professor Snape's desk. He looked up from his work and motioned for her to come closer.

"I understand completely that you do not feel comfortable in this class, given the circumstances surrounding your mother's unfortunate demise. However, I cannot treat you differently than the others during class. If you feel you need them, I will provide you with remedial lessons." He said, smiling kindly.

Luna tilted her head to the side. "I'm not sure, sir. It's just that I'm scared of causing an accident and killing someone," she whispered.

"I'm certain you'll do fine. Let me organise some remedial lessons for you, starting tomorrow after classes end. We'll have those three days a week, if you think they will help," he said.

"Thank you professor, I really appreciate it," she said.

"You're welcome. Now run along, your friends are surely missing you at lunch."

Luna walked slowly up to the great hall, pondering this little act of kindness. When she arrived, Emily waved her over to a place at the table, and she sat and waved off her friends' inquisitive stares. After helping herself to some shepherd's pie, Luna started up a conversation with Edward Marshbanks.

The Slytherins ate lunch quickly and went outside to see the black lake, which they had come in on the night before. They rushed on to Herbology just minutes before it began, meeting up with the first year Gryffindors at the entrance to Greenhouse One.

Luna and Emily liked Professor Sprout, who seemed to have just the perfect name to suit her job. She was friendly and kind, and was certain that everyone could pass Herbology with flying colours because everyone was a natural at it. She explained that it was mostly instinct that led Herbologists, and that everyone either had it in them or could develop it. She seemed to be a highly intelligent woman, with a natural intuition for the plants that she worked with.

Luna didn't mind getting her fingers dirty. When the Slytherins and Gryffindors were assigned the job of re-potting some strange plants that looked like above-ground radishes, her plants immediately nuzzled her fondly in the crook of her neck. She let out a squeal of surprise, and Professor Sprout came running up to her.

"Is everything alright, dear?" she asked, as Luna giggled sheepishly. Professor Sprout's run was really more classifiable as a penguin waddle. Luna explained in a hushed tone what she had experienced, and Professor Sprout let out a squeal of glee and pulled her into a corner. "You have the gift!" she whispered huskily, waging over in the general direction of the plants. "This is most unusual… almost like your mother…"

Luna's head snapped up and she made eye contact with her professor. "Please professor – will you tell me about her? My father… he can't bear to mention her…" Professor Sprout's eyes watered. "I'm sure I can work something out for you. Why don't you come and have tea with me? This Saturday, around ten – I'll send you a note with the place and password," she said, smiling conspiratorially.

"Thanks Professor, I'd really appreciate it," said Luna, shyly returning the smile.

Realising that it was getting toward the end of the lesson, Professor Sprout straightened herself out and instructed the class to start packing up. She let everyone go early, and waved goodbye to Luna, who waved hesitantly in return.

"You may have to explain to me later why all the teachers want to talk with you in private on the first day," said Emily, glancing sideways at her best friend.

"I may…" said Luna, smiling secretively. "Or I may not…"

Emily shoved her lightly so that she stumbled sideways into Crystal, who said "Hey!" in an indignant fashion.

"Sorry, Crystal… It's just that 'miss popular' over here won't share her secrets," said Emily, sticking out her tongue at Luna.

"It's okay," said Crystal absently as she walked a little further up the path towards the school, rushing to avoid any further conflict.

"I will not be manhandled into spilling my secrets," intoned Luna dryly, and then smirking a little. "But I could be bribed…" she trailed off suggestively. She started to skip faster up the pathway, dodging Emily's tickling jinx as she went.

"I have somewhere to be, I'll see you later!" shouted Luna, racing up the path and into the school. She dashed around the corner, flew up two staircases and skidded to a halt in front of the library doors. As she caught her breath, she considered why the teachers _were _actually treating her differently. She wondered if it was the same with all motherless children, and if Harry Potter was treated in the same manner.

As she entered the Library, she looked out for a tell-tale sleek blonde head of hair. She spotted Hermione Granger sitting at a table near a window, surrounded by books – but no Draco. Just then a pale slim-fingered hand alighted on her shoulder, and the person attached to it stepped out from behind her and whispered "Over here."

She followed her cousin's soft footsteps to a smaller table not far from Hermione's; in the shadow of a glass cabinet displaying aged masterpiece manuscripts with ornate capital letters at the top of each page. Draco pulled out a chair for her, and following the etiquette she had been taught as a child she sat, crossed her legs elegantly and folded her hands in her lap. From where she was seated she had a perfect view of Hermione, whose mind was completely absorbed in her books.

Draco sat opposite her and folded his legs in much the same manner. "We have not seen each other before in person," he stated simply, and for want of a more eloquent reply, Luna nodded.

"I was told that it was because our parents became estranged after your mother married your father – a marriage that our grandfather did not approve of," he continued. Luna nodded again, wondering what his point was.

"I wish to mend those ties – I do not care for arranged marriages, and I have made this fact known to my parents. I assume that your father is of the same standing?" he enquired, leaning back into a ray of golden sunlight.

"He is. It's not as though he wasn't brought up to believe in the old values, but when he fell in love it was an entirely different matter. His own family disowned him when he made a decision to forsake their previous arrangement, and his only family became my mother," Luna said, sitting still as stone in the half-light on her side of the table. "Why do you wish to mend these ties?" enquired Luna.

"I had never met my own cousin, and will now never get to meet my aunt, due to the tragedy of your mother's demise. In my eyes family is family, and we should not be separated over arguments and squabbles had even before we were born," he finished his speech and looked her directly in the eye. "Would you do me the honour of being my cousin, Luna?" he asked directly.

"Of course, Draco – I wouldn't have it any other way," replied Luna soothingly, and she reached across the table to grasp his hand in hers. He smiled fragilely, as though it was not something he was used to doing.

"Are there other cousins I am unaware of? My father didn't mention any, but I wouldn't put it past him to keep me in the dark. After all, he didn't even mention _you_," said Draco, letting his hand slip out of Luna's grasp.

"Oh yes, but you probably won't be interested in her…" said Luna hesitantly.

"Why?" enquired Draco.

"Well, for starters her lineage is not pure. While I don't care about such things, I can understand if you do, having been brought up in a household widely known for your allegiance to a known blood-purity fanatic," she said, searching his eyes for a hint of his reaction. He was obviously trained well, as his countenance did not flicker for even a fraction of a second at her multi-layered approach to 'breaking-it-to-him-slowly'.

"Yes, and?" he tilted his head slightly to the side, as if to say 'what's your point?'.

Then she pulled out the really big gun. "She is also… a registered metamorphmagus." Draco's eyes widened automatically.

"You're serious?" he enquired. Then he jumped up, an excited gleam in his smile. "That is so _cool_!"

Luna laughed, and wondered how she could have possibly been so nervous about meeting him. They talked a bit about their interests, Draco saying that he was crazy about quiddich, but that he loved animals just as much as Luna did. She asked him about his parents, and he asked her about her father. Luna said she would try and arrange a meeting between Draco and Tonks, but that she wasn't sure whether it would be possible.

They walked down to dinner together and sat down at their house table side by side. Emily, seated on Luna's other side, poked her friend with a fork. "I hope you haven't forgotten …" she trailed off.

"Of course not, Emily – this is my cousin Draco. I will accept a manicure as payment for detailing the rest of my secrets involving my busy social life." Luna smirked, and Emily smiled. Slytherins expected nothing to be free, and took nothing for free. This was a fair exchange. "Sure Luna, we have a deal… how does after supper in the dorm room work for you?"

"That's fine, and then we can talk about more amicable things, such as matching necklaces," suggested Luna.

"Sounds good to me."

Across the hall, Hermione discretely cancelled her eavesdropping charm. She really needed to talk to those two girls…


End file.
